Box-car



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. W. STEBBINS.

BOX GAR.

No. 584,609. Patented June 15,1897.

lgazgiar wfi ms w i w mgSz-zzms 13y 61 4" eAffovgays, Fnsan (No Model.)2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. W. STEBBINS. BOX GAR.

No. 584,609. PatentedJune 15,1897.

WHQQSSQS ANSON XV. STEBBINS, OF MADISON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OFONE- IIALF TO E. M. STEBBINS AND ELI VISE, OF ABBEVILLE, LOUISIANA.

BOX-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,609, dated June 15,1897.

Application filed June 10, 1896. Serial No. 595,004. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANSON WV. STEBBINS, a citizen of the United States,residing; in the county of Madison and State of Mississippi,

(Pickens P. 0.,) have invented a new and useful BOX Oll', of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to box-cars; and the object in view is toconstruct the car-body in [0 such manner that it will be practicable toprovide the same with a lon gitudinallyextended door-opening of severaltimes the ordinary size with a view to rendering the loading andunloading of dressed lumber, cotton-bales,

sacks of grain, or, in fact, freight of any kind,

easier.

As incidental to the above a further object of the invention is toprovide a combination or sectional door of novel construction by meansof which the enlarged door-opening may be closed without the doorsoccupying too much space when thrown open.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainnovel features and details of construction, as hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated inthe drawings, and embodied in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a box-carconstructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the mannerof mounting the doors. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the doors uponone side of the center thrown open and the boarding at the other endremoved to show the manner of trussing and bracing the carbody.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in bothfigures of the drawings.

In lumber-cars as ordinarily constructed a small window is provided inone end, through which the lumber may be passed in loading andunloading. This is made necessary on account of the fact that in passingthe boards through the ordinary small central door in the side of thecar one end of a board will strike against the end of the car before theopposite end of the board has passed the opposite facing of the door.Accordingly the present invention aims to construct the body of the carin such manner as to permit the formation in the side thereof of alongitudinally-extended door-opening, (indicated at 1.) This door-opening will ordinarily be from eighteen to twenty feet in length, and inorder to support the roof of the car and at the same time brace the bodyof the car to counteract the weakening effect of forming such largedoor-opening ahorizontal beam 2 is extended the entire length of the carjust over and bounding the top of the door-opening. One of these beamsis provided on each side of the car and is arranged in a plane below andparallel with the roof of the car. lBetween each beam 2 and theroof'beam, arranged above the s'ame, are interposed diagonal or obliqueand reversely-inclining trusses 3, secured at suitable intervals to thesaid beam, as shown. The said trusses are formed of continuous bars bentto the desired form and interlaced with each other, as clearly' shown inFig. 2.

At each end of the door-opening is located a vertical door'post 4:, andthis is connected to the adjacent end post of the car byahorizontal beam5, and the said parts are further braced with relation to each other andto the bottom and top of the car by means of X- braces 6 in the form ofdiagonal bars crossing each other at intermediate points. The endportions of these braces 6 are first bent at an oblique angle to themain portion and the obliquely-extending ends are then bent at a rightangle, thereby forming right-angled end portions which fit into thecorners and form abutting surfaces for the vertical posts and horizontalbeams. Corner-braces 7 are interposed between the. door-post 4E and thehorizontal beam 2, and other braces or brackets 8 are arranged in theangles between the door-posts and the car-bottom. In this manner thecar-body is thoroughly and effectively braced.

Located above and beneath the door-openings are slideways or tracks 9for a pair of sliding doors 10. These sliding doors are intended tocover or close the end portions of the door-opening, while the centralportion of the door-opening is closed by means of hinged doors 11,connected by vertical pivots to the inner edges of the sliding doors.Each of the doors thus consist of two sections-a longitudinally movableand sliding section 10 and a hinged section 11, connected thereto bymeans of any suitable form of hinge 12. One or both of the door-sections10 a nd 11 are provided in their meeting edges and at top and bottomwith notches 13, which when the door sections are closed embraceoutwardly-projecting stops 14, arranged at the top and bottom of thedoor-opening and at or near the inner ends of the slideways 9. When thedoors are closed, the stops 14.- prevent the longitudinal movement ofthe doorsections in either direction, but when the hinged section 11 ismoved outward and folded against the sliding section 10, both of thesections may he slid together toward the end of the car for opening thedoorway to its full extent. Suitable stops 15 limit the out ward slidingof the doors, and the hinged sections of the doors may be provided attheir meeting edges with any suitable form of hasp and staple 16 orother fastening device for locking the doors in their closed positions.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the car-body isthoroughly braced to provide for the increased size of the dooropeningand that the doors, which are made in sections, may be easily andquickly opened and folded compactly, so as not to interfere with theloading and unloading of the car. The enlarged door-opening will greatlyfacilitate the operation of loading and unloading, as there is more roomand a greater number of hands may be employed to advantage.

In loading the car the freight may be packed in the ends of the car asfar as the door-posts. The end sections of the door may then be closedand the loading continued until their inner edges are reached, afterwhich one of the hinged inner sections of the doors may be closed andthe operation of loading finished through the space occupied by theremaining hinge-section. doors are thrown open, leaving practically anopen side to the car. The size of the dooropening also acts to thecomfort of the hands in loading or unloading.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what In loading lumber all ofthetion with a horizontal beam bounding the top of the door-opening, anda series of trusses interposed between said beam and the top of the carand connected thereto, said trusses being formed of continuous bars bentto the desired form and interlaced with each other, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

2. In a boX-carhaving a longitudinally-extended door-opening in itsside, the combination with the door-post and the end post of the car, ofa horizontal beam extending between said posts, and a series ofreverselyinclining braces crossing each other and interposed betweensaid posts above and below the horizontal bar, said braces being bent asdescribed to form right-angled end portions to fit snugly in the cornersand form abutting surfaces for the vertical posts and horizontal beams,substantially as specified.

3. A car-door consisting of two sections hinged together and one or bothprovided in their meeting edges with a notch, in combi nation with astop secured to the car-body and entering said notch when the door isclosed, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A car-door consisting of a sliding section adapted to close a portionof the door-opening, and a hinged section connected to the slidingsection and adapted to close another portion of the door-opening, saidhinged section being formed with a notch, in combination with a stop onthe car-body entering said notch in the door when closed, substantiallyas described.

5. A car-door, consisting of a sliding section adapted to close aportion of the door-opening, and a hinged section connected to thesliding section and adapted to close another portion of thedoor-opening, in combination with means on the car-body independent ofthe ordinary locking devices for engaging the hinged section when closedand preventing the sliding of the door-sections, but arranged to permitthe sliding of the sections when the hinged section is swung outward,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANSON NV. STEBBINS. Witnesses:

J. D. PAYNE, J. W. ANDERSON.

